Bears acted swiftly, disregarding finances, in cutting Hurd

If they had waited to Monday to dump receiver, they might have recouped part of bonus

December 17, 2011|Dan Pompei | On the NFL

When the Bears are interested in signing a player like Sam Hurd, they check out more than his height, weight and 40-yard dash time.

There is a league report on the background of each of the league's 2,000 or so players, and the team gives it a thorough examination.

The Bears' security staff will scour criminal and legal records. It might do extra work, especially if there are red flags. The Bears say there were none on Hurd.

When police pulled over an associate of Hurd's who had attempted to make a large cocaine purchase in July, the associate was driving Hurd's car. The car had $88,000 of Hurd's money in it.

Why didn't the Bears find out about this? There was no public record of it. The incident told the feds they needed to track Hurd, and they were going to do it as covertly as possible.

In the process of doing their "due diligence," the Bears also talk with trusted contacts who have had exposure to the players. In Hurd's case, he received glowing recommendations from Northern Illinois and the Cowboys.

And until Thursday, the Bears would have given Hurd a glowing recommendation.

Almost everyone around the team liked him and found him irrepressibly positive. Players and coaches looked forward to seeing the bible scripture he would write on the chalkboard every day. He worked hard, kept his mouth shut and acted professionally.

So when the team heard Thursday he had been arrested on drug charges, there was shock. And there was anger at Hurd for his deceiving them as well as becoming a distraction with the season on the line Sunday against the Seahawks.

The Bears could have waited until Monday to cut Hurd. He would have violated his contract by not showing up for Sunday's game, and that would have enabled the Bears to recoup a prorated portion of his $1.35 million signing bonus.

Instead, they cut him Friday because the principle was more important than the money.

Numbers games: Pick opportunities

You might look at the Bears' defensive ranking in interceptions — tied for fifth in the NFL — and come to the understandable conclusion this team is pretty good at picking off opponents.

But that would be misguided.

The Bears, who have one interception in their last two games, need to intercept more passes and should.

Why? Because they have had more opportunities than any team in football.

Opponents have thrown a league-high 529 passes against the Bears. If you look at interceptions per pass attempt, the Bears rank 14th.

Who should be intercepting more balls? Start with cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings.

Tillman, who has two interceptions this season, has been targeted a league-high 105 times, according to STATS. He has given up 828 receiving yards, third worst in the league. And he has been "burned" 57 times — tied for second most in the league.

Jennings, meanwhile, is right behind Tillman as a target 95 times with only one interception. He has given up 628 receiving yards, 15th highest in the league. Jennings has been "burned" 53 times, which ranks fifth.

The good news? They have allowed only one touchdown apiece.

Both are very good tacklers who often allow receivers to make catches underneath as the zone defense calls for, and then limit the yards after the catch. That has helped the team post the the eighth best average in the league for yards per attempt at 6.7.

But it's interceptions the Bears need, especially given the state of their offense.

Comprehend the trend: Ruskell's Seahawks

The Bears' Chris Spencer will play Sunday against the team that drafted him, the Seahawks.

He is one of a number of former Seahawks drafted by Tim Ruskell who are helping other teams win. Ruskell presided over five drafts in Seattle before coming to the Bears in 2010.

Four of his draft picks start for the Seahawks — middle linebacker Leroy Hill (the longest-tenured Seahawk), defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (sixth most tackles by an interior lineman in the NFL), defensive end Red Bryant (four blocked kicks this season) and center Max Unger (Spencer's replacement). A fifth, tight end John Carlson, probably would start if he were not on injured reserve.

Five of his Seahawks picks are starting elsewhere. In addition to Spencer, they are Rob Sims, who some scouts believe is the best Lions offensive lineman, Eagles fullback Owen Schmitt, Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson and Raiders outside linebacker Aaron Curry, who quickly has made an impact.

Three others have significant roles on their teams' defenses. Lawrence Jackson, who sacked Jay Cutler twice this year, is the third defensive end for the Lions. Darryl Tapp fills the same role for the Eagles. And Kelly Jennings is the nickel corner for the Bengals.

Other players Ruskell acquired for the Seahawks include Eagles defensive end Jason Babin, whose 15 sacks are tied for second most in the NFL, and Seahawks punter Jon Ryan, who ranks first in the NFC with 26 punts inside the 20 and third in average at 47.4 yards.

Front office chess: Catching a Seahawk

Back in the offseason's early stages, before the lockout, the Bears identified Spencer as a potential replacement for center Olin Kreutz. Ruskell knew him well, and the team evaluated him as a player who had improved as his career progressed.

But they were only going to act on their interest if they couldn't sign Kreutz. After the Kreutz negotiations fell through, the team made an offer to Spencer. By that time, the Bengals and 49ers also were in pursuit.

The Bears also had moved Roberto Garza to center, but they still weren't sure how that was going to work out. It turned out Garza played pretty well at center, so the Bears acquired Spencer and moved him to guard.

Spencer started slowly but came on strong at his new position. Now, some believe he might be a better guard than center.